How to Get Construction Work in the UK: 22 Proven Ways to Find Clients and Bigger Projects
Word of mouth dries up. MyBuilder turns every job into a price war. Here are the 22 channels I used to build Craftex to 150+ high-end projects across London, ordered from free to paid, with real numbers.
- 22 ways to get construction projects, from your phone contacts to Google Ads
- Real costs: what Bark, Planning Pipe, Google and Facebook leads actually cost
- Word-for-word scripts for LinkedIn, architects and site visits
- Case studies from builders who used them, plus a 30-day action plan
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The short answer
The fastest ways to get construction work in the UK cost nothing but time:
- Reposition as a general contractor so every client can buy the whole project from you, not one trade.
- Call 300+ people already in your phone and every past client.
- Walk into live construction sites and offer a reliable crew.
- Build relationships with small architects, interior designers and developers.
- Get on the supply chain of bigger contractors through their estimators and QSs.
- Pay a 5–10% referral fee so everyone you know brings you projects.
Paid channels (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, SEO) work, but only once you can price, present and close properly. Below is the full breakdown of all 22.
Why most builders struggle to find work
Most builders don't have a skills problem. They have a channel problem. They rely on word of mouth and one or two contacts, so work comes in waves: three months fully booked, then a month of panic. When the panic hits, they sign up to a lead platform and end up competing with five other trades on price for a £3K job.
The builders who grow have several channels feeding them at once, and they move up from small domestic jobs to commercial work, where the clients are businesses and the margins are better.
I came to the UK with £6K of debt and started as a demolition labourer, then worked as a carpenter. Within three years my company turned over £1M a year. Every way below is one I've used myself at Craftex or taught to the builders I mentor.
Start with what you already have
01Switch to the general contractor model
The client who buys your decorating also needs electrics, plumbing and joinery. Take full-scope projects, subcontract the packages you don't cover and add your margin on each one. When I turned Craftex into a general contractor, I went from smaller jobs to a £1.3M office fit-out within two months.
02Call your existing contacts (300+ calls, not 10)
Former employers, colleagues, subcontractors, QSs, suppliers, friends. Call, don't text, and tell them you now deliver full projects. Adam, a builder I mentored, signed £91,796 of work in 8 days this way, including a £30,796 refurb from a previous client and a £49K extension from a loft client's neighbour.
03Call every previous client
They already trust you and they have new phases, maintenance and friends who need a builder. Even if you only did small jobs for them, update them on what your company can deliver now, and ask for referrals directly.
04Walk into live construction sites
A live site is where money is being spent today, and every site has problems with labour, quality or subcontractors. Ask for the project manager, offer a few reliable guys on day rate and follow up by phone. Oleg, 19, visited 15 sites in central London in two hours and walked away with a real project opportunity.
05Small and mid-size developers
Flat flippers, extensions, small commercial-to-residential conversions. Call the director, offer a free estimate on a deal they're assessing, then tender for the build. Never cold email them.
06Bark (the only lead platform that still works)
For £10K–£50K jobs, Bark is the cheapest place to learn to sell. Respond fast, skip people who only want a free estimate and present every quote on Zoom or in person. Expect to price around 10 jobs to win one.
Get the full playbook for all 22 ways
Step-by-step instructions, scripts and the exact numbers, in a 24-page PDF.
Get in front of the people who control projects
07LinkedIn outreach, done properly
Expect a 1–3% reply rate, so volume and the message matter. Don't ask for work. Offer it: "Hi, I'm looking for partners and I have a potential project. Would you like to talk about it?"
08Small architecture studios
Architects decide who gets recommended, and their clients always ask them for a construction budget. Target studios of 3–10 people, call first, then visit and offer to help price their projects. Adam signed a £528K project through an architect he already knew, with an estimated profit of £175–180K.
09Interior designers
Many designers take the whole contract and subcontract it, so reliability matters more to them than price. Small firms of 1–15 people are the sweet spot.
10Bigger contractors and specialist contractors
Companies turning over £5–15M subcontract packages constantly. Talk to owners, estimators and QSs, start with a small problem job and grow. A few relationships like this can be worth £0.5–1.5M of turnover a year.
11Call construction company offices
Ask for the estimator or QS and ask whether they need help pricing packages. Spend 1–2 days a week only on this. Focus on commercial work: businesses pay better than homeowners.
12QSs, estimators and project management companies
They decide who gets invited to tender. Before pricing blind, ask: have you secured the project, how many contractors are pricing, and what matters most: price, quality or speed? Dmitriy, a plumber, won his first £50K commercial project by changing how he priced, presented and followed up.
Use data, systems and partners
13Planning Pipe: find projects before they're tendered
Planning data for around £100+ a month: projects that have applied for or received planning, with the client and architect named. Call both, and make sure the client gets your quote at the same time as the architect.
14Property management companies
Blocks and commercial buildings need roofs, corridors, decking and maintenance, from £10K to £300K a job. Get on their tender list and win on price, then reliability.
15Letting agents
Constant refurb and repair work to fill the gaps between bigger projects. Give them a reason to refer you: a clear affiliate fee.
16Industry networking events
Pay for quality: £150+ tickets in property development, architecture and design. The £10–40 events are full of other trades looking for work.
17A 5–10% referral program
Present it as your company's affiliate program and tell everyone: architects, designers, PMs, friends and family. Anyone can bring you a project.
18Planning approvals
Watch council planning portals (free but slow) or Planning Pipe and contact applicants as soon as approval lands. Sometimes the architect has just fallen out with the previous contractor.
Paid channels: only when you're ready
| Channel | Budget | Typical numbers |
|---|---|---|
| 19. Google Ads | £5K minimum | Office fit-out example: ~£15 per click, £150–300 per lead, about 1 in 5 leads qualified, £3–5K of spend to sign one project |
| 20. Facebook & Instagram Ads | ~£2K a month | £7–15 per lead, £60–150 per qualified lead, deals usually £5K–£150K |
| 21. SEO & website | £5K setup + £2K a month | Results after 6–12 months; the biggest enquiries can reach £1M+ |
| 22. Government tenders | Free portals | Last priority: long tenders, strict compliance, no upfront payments. Only from £0.5–1M turnover |
Figures are from Sviat's own campaigns and clients, as of 2026. Your costs will vary.
How much can you spend on ads to win one project?
Work backwards from the profit. On a £50K job with £15K profit, you can spend £3–3.5K on ads to win it and still keep around £11.5–12K. On a £100K job with £25K profit, £5–7K is fine. If you don't know your profit per job, fix your pricing before you spend a pound on ads.
Clayton, a plasterer, came to me for a strategy session on his pricing, sales and lead generation. The day after the call, he signed a £10,000 project.
Want the full numbers and scripts?
The free PDF has the step-by-step for every channel, plus a 30-day plan and scorecard.
Builders who used these channels
Real clients, real numbers. Every story is on YouTube.
"When I first signed up with Sviat, my business was a mess and I was still on the tools. Now we've already hit £400k in revenue this year!"
Ghennadi Catansus · Trustpilot"After just a month and a half, I had earned back everything I'd invested and even made a profit on top."
Sergey Dimov · TrustpilotIndividual results, not typical or guaranteed. Outcomes depend on your business, market and effort.
A simple 30-day plan
Week 1: reposition as a general contractor, start your 300 calls and set up a 5–10% referral fee.
Week 2: call every previous client, visit 15+ live sites and call 20 company offices.
Week 3: fix your LinkedIn profile, contact 30 small architects and designers, and call 10 developers.
Week 4: price 10 real jobs, present every quote live and follow up weekly until you get a yes or a no.
Track calls, conversations, site visits, quotes sent, quotes won and average job value every week. If the numbers are low, it's rarely the channel. It's the volume, the message or how you present your quotes.
Questions builders ask
What is the fastest way to get construction work in the UK?
Call the people you already know. Former employers, colleagues, subcontractors, suppliers and past clients are warm contacts, and most builders never call them properly. Aim for 300+ calls, tell them you now deliver full projects, and offer a referral fee.
Is Checkatrade or MyBuilder worth it for builders?
For small domestic jobs they can bring enquiries, but you compete on price with several other trades and the jobs are small. If you want bigger, more profitable work, relationships with architects, developers, designers and bigger contractors bring better projects. Bark can work for £10K–£50K jobs if you respond fast and present quotes properly.
How do I get commercial construction work as a small builder?
Start as a subcontractor or delivery partner for bigger contractors and specialist firms, through their estimators and QSs. Take a small job, deliver it well and grow from there. Commercial clients are businesses, so margins are usually better than residential extensions.
How do I find construction projects before they go to tender?
Monitor planning applications and approvals on your local council portals, or use Planning Pipe for structured planning data. Contact the applicant and the architect as soon as approval lands, and ask whether they've chosen a contractor yet.
Should builders use Google Ads or Facebook Ads?
Only once you can price, present and close properly. Google Ads for fit-outs can cost around £150–300 per lead with a £5K minimum budget to learn. Facebook Ads leads are cheaper (around £7–15) but need fast follow-up and good qualifying questions. Work out how much profit a project makes before deciding what you can spend.
How do I get clients for a new construction business?
Start with free channels: your phone contacts, past employers, live sites near you, small developers and Bark. They cost time, not money, and they teach you to sell before you spend on ads. The free guide includes a 30-day plan for exactly this.
Keep going
Get all 22 ways, scripts and real numbers in one PDF
- Step-by-step for every channel, ordered from free to paid
- Case studies with video breakdowns
- 30-day action plan and weekly scorecard
From Sviat Jay, founder of Craftex (150+ projects across London) and BizMentor.
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